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Chapter IV.V, A Bibliography on the British Crisis
CHAPTER IV.V
Some Good Sources on 70's British Politics
Professor Joe Yesman
University of Oregon
“1972-1980: The Years of Lead” by Michael Gove- An overview of the crises and political violence of the era. Mostly solid and based in fact, unlike other accounts of these years, which tend to fall into the traps of conspiracy theory or inflating the ideological violence on the mainland. Gove’s thesis, and the thesis of most major political theorists these days, is that the crisis of that era can primarily be seen as a Northern Irish one that radiated onto the mainland.
“Bastards” by Kenneth Clark- A hilarious memoir by novelist and self proclaimed “washed-up political has-been” Kenneth Clarke. Clarke was one of those unlucky MPs whose personal politics fell somewhere between the moderates who defected to the CDP and the Powellites and Josephites who took over the party. His work is undeniably partisan- he himself calls it half a novel- but it is still a very entertaining read.
“The Strange Death of Tory England” by Peter Mandelson- Before Mandelson’s time as a Labour Frontbencher, he wrote several works of political history, this one being the only one of any worth. Mandelson’s thesis was that just as the pressures of Irish Nationalism, women’s suffrage, the labour movement, and Tory obstructionism destroyed the Liberal Party and the culture that allowed it to be a strong governing force, decolonization, the creation of the welfare state, social liberalization, and the Northern Irish Crisis destroyed the Tories and the culture that had created them. Memorably, Mandelson described the Tories after the Suez Crisis as “a shambling zombie of a party, desperately trying to conceal the maggots that had infested it.”
“The 800-year Revolution: A History of British Government” by Nick Clegg- More Whiggish than Harold Stassen in a costume shop, and proud of it. Clegg tells a history of Britain from the Magna Carta to [REDACTED] that describes 800 years of gradual reform to a more just and democratic state. Despite all the Whiggery, it remains a damn fine read, and a good overview on the subject for beginners.
Some Good Sources on 70's British Politics
Professor Joe Yesman
University of Oregon
“1972-1980: The Years of Lead” by Michael Gove- An overview of the crises and political violence of the era. Mostly solid and based in fact, unlike other accounts of these years, which tend to fall into the traps of conspiracy theory or inflating the ideological violence on the mainland. Gove’s thesis, and the thesis of most major political theorists these days, is that the crisis of that era can primarily be seen as a Northern Irish one that radiated onto the mainland.
“Bastards” by Kenneth Clark- A hilarious memoir by novelist and self proclaimed “washed-up political has-been” Kenneth Clarke. Clarke was one of those unlucky MPs whose personal politics fell somewhere between the moderates who defected to the CDP and the Powellites and Josephites who took over the party. His work is undeniably partisan- he himself calls it half a novel- but it is still a very entertaining read.
“The Strange Death of Tory England” by Peter Mandelson- Before Mandelson’s time as a Labour Frontbencher, he wrote several works of political history, this one being the only one of any worth. Mandelson’s thesis was that just as the pressures of Irish Nationalism, women’s suffrage, the labour movement, and Tory obstructionism destroyed the Liberal Party and the culture that allowed it to be a strong governing force, decolonization, the creation of the welfare state, social liberalization, and the Northern Irish Crisis destroyed the Tories and the culture that had created them. Memorably, Mandelson described the Tories after the Suez Crisis as “a shambling zombie of a party, desperately trying to conceal the maggots that had infested it.”
“The 800-year Revolution: A History of British Government” by Nick Clegg- More Whiggish than Harold Stassen in a costume shop, and proud of it. Clegg tells a history of Britain from the Magna Carta to [REDACTED] that describes 800 years of gradual reform to a more just and democratic state. Despite all the Whiggery, it remains a damn fine read, and a good overview on the subject for beginners.
- Bulldoggus
- Word Count: 360